pince & pints katong: great lobsters, divine mac & cheese! · pince & pints katong:...
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O C T O B E R 2 9 , 2 0 1 7B Y J U S T I N P E R E I R A
Pince&PintsKatong:GreatLobsters,DivineMac&Cheese!
When it firstopened in2014,Pince&PintsRestaurantandBaratDuxton garnereda reputation for
excellentlobstersfreshofftheAtlanticCoast.Fanswouldthereforebegladtoknowthatthebrandhas
finallyexpandedwithasecondoutletinthemidstofidyllicKatong.
As Iwalked downa charming stretch of shophouses on a drizzly Thursday evening, the restaurant’s
classy, black-framed, parlour-like full length panels stood out from the rest of its neighbours. Awell-
stockedbarawaitsyouasyouenter,andIwasquicklyusheredtothemaindiningareaupstairs.
Its minimalistic and loft-like layout struck a chord in me immediately; there were huge long wooden
tablesforabiggathering,butthefaux-marbletopsforthesmalltablesmadetheareainvitingaswell.
LaterdidIknowthattheinspirationbehindPince&Pintswasfromtheowner’sownexperienceinNew
YorkandBoston.AsIsatdown,Ican’thelpbutnoticetheinterestinggrid-likecageornamentontheir
menu,muchlikethefamedgridstreetsysteminNewYorkCity(oritmayjustbemyvividimagination).
Pince&Pintspridesitselfonservingthebestandfreshestlobstersintown.Twiceweekly,freshAtlantic
lobstersareflowninfromtheUSEastCoast,andaretransportedandstoredinin-housetanksbefore
beingservedtotheircustomers.Incidentally,itsdistributoralsoprovidesfreshseafoodtootherleading
establishments,soyouwillbeguaranteedoftheauthenticityandthefreshnessofthecrustaceansthat
yougethere.
DigitalBillboards
TheLobsterRollwithanexceptionalBun!
Westartedoffwithoneof their in-housecocktails,HighwayRun IntoTheMidnightSun ($18++), a
refreshingandsomewhatoverly tangyconcoctionof gin, vodkaand fresh limewithahint (or two)of
cilantro.Thisisadrinkbestenjoyedafterabriefwalkinthesummerheat.
TheMixedPlatter($32++;customtastingportion)wasservedupnext.Amoundofperfectlyfriedfish
skin, fried calamari and straight cut fries, what soldmewas the incredibly light and refreshing tartar
sauce.Tobehonest, Iwasnever a fanof tartar saucebecauseof theoverly briny versions thatwe
normallygetelsewhere.I,however,foundmyselfgoingbackfortherestaurant’startarsaucemore,and
more.
TheLiveOysters($30++forhalfadozen)werefreshanddecentlyplumpwithapleasantbrininessto
it,andwentreallywellwiththelightandtangyredwinevinaigrette.
The Lobster Roll ($58++) is the restaurant’s signature dish. Lobster chunks were laid on top of a
toastedbun,andtheportionwasgenerousinalightcoatingofgarlicaioli.Iwascompletelythrownaway
by the bun: it was buttery, golden, and pillow-y. The lobster chunks were intensely savoury, and its
salinitypaired reallywellwith thesweetandcrispybun.An In-housebuttersaucewasalsoprovided,
andwheneatenwiththerollgaveasmoothround-uptothemoreishflavours.
WealsohadtheSteamedLiveWholeLobster($58++)overthemorecommongrilledversion,andhad
no regrets. Steaming the lobster retained its moisture, and this resulted in a briny but sweet, and
somewhatmineral-ly tasting juicypieceofmeat.Thesamebuttersaucewasservedalongside,which
HighwayRunIntoTheMidnightSunHighwayRunIntoTheMidnightSun MixedPlatterMixedPlatter LiveOystersLiveOysters
LobsterRollLobsterRoll LobsterRollLobsterRoll
SteamedLiveWholeLobsterSteamedLiveWholeLobster
whenpairedwiththemeatgaveitanexcellentmouthfeel.
ADivineLobsterMac&Cheese
AnothergreatrenditionofaclassicdishwouldbetheLobsterMac&Cheese($29++).Glisteningina
goldenhue,thisversionhadelbowmacaroniandlargechunksoflobstermeattumbledinacheesyyet
lightbéchamel.Theadditionofthelobsterlendsthedishsomesalinitywhichcutsthecreamysauceand
making it easyon thepalate, and theadditionof cognacgave it a slightly flavourful dimension. I am
normallyaversetocreamydishes,butthelobstermacaroniandcheesewascertainlyanexception.One
thingtonote:Iwishthemacaronicouldhavebeencookedalittle lesserforatouchmorebiteineach
spoonful.
WealsohadaLobsterChowder($38++) totaste,butIpersonallyfounditabit lacklustre;otherthan
thelobstermeat,thedishdidnotreallyscreamlobster,orseafoodtome.Itwasalsoabitheavyonthe
palate,andIfeltitwasmoreofaleekandpotatochowderinsteadofalobsterone.
Allinall,IamimpressedwiththefreshnessoftheingredientsbyPince&Pints.Thelobsterroll,steamed
lobster and lobstermac& cheesewere all great; the pairings of the ingredientswere thoughtful, yet
whenit’stimeforthestaringredienttoshine,itwasdulyallowed.Whilethepricemaybealittlesteep,
the restaurant’s speciality of fresh Atlantic lobsters has its own appeal. Also, if you are looking for
somewheretogiveyourselfatreat,ortohaveaplacetowinddownafterahecticweekwithagroupof
friends,Pince&Pintsdeservesaconsideration.Oh,andIintendtohuntdownthebakeryinChinatown
thatsuppliesthemtheirbreadforthelobsterroll.Itwasthatgood.
ThankyouPince&Pintsfortheinvitation.
ThisarticlewaswrittenbyYanZhi.
Pince&Pints95EastCoastRoadSingapore428793
Reservations:63863988Website
OpeningHoursMon–Fri:12pm–2.30pm&5.30pm–11pmSat,Sun&PH:11am–11pm(AllDay)OpenonPublicHolidaysLastOrderforKitchen10pm
ConsideringMore?
LobsterMac&CheeseLobsterMac&Cheese LobsterChowderLobsterChowder
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